Protective glove and method of manufacturing the same

ABSTRACT

A temperature resistant and fluid impermeable protective glove having front and back panels joined by at least one seam. During manufacture, the glove is dipped into a first thin liquid to coat the exterior surface of the glove. The first liquid penetrates through gaps in the seam and seals those gaps as it solidifies. The first liquid coated glove is then dipped into a second thicker liquid to coat the entire exterior surface including the sealed seam. A third coating may be applied to the interior surface of the glove prior to joining the front and back panels together. The glove may also include an interior liner and an exterior protective member for added comfort and protection.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/289,246, filed Dec. 22, 2009, the entire specification of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

This invention generally relates to gloves. More particularly, the invention relates to protective gloves used in industries where workers encounter extremely high or extremely low temperature substances or potentially come into contact with any number of a variety of caustic substances. Specifically, the invention relates to a glove having a first coating on its exterior surface that penetrates and seals the seams and a second coating that overlays the first coating, and to a method of manufacturing gloves incorporating these elements.

2. Background Information

In many industries, workers may have to handle articles that potentially can injure them. In the food services industry, for example, workers are frequently exposed to heated surfaces and hot liquids and gases that may cause severe burns. It has therefore become commonplace for workers in such environments to wear protective clothing, including temperature and fluid resistant gloves. The gloves in question need to prevent radiant heat from reaching the skin and they need to be fluid impermeable to prevent liquids and gases from penetrating into the interior of the glove, causing a contact-type injury. Similar requirements are necessary in industries where the workers are exposed to extremely cold substances, such as liquid nitrogen, or to caustic substances such as acids and bases that can severely damage flesh if they come into contact with the skin.

While gloves currently known in these industries function quite well, one of the problem areas that persists is the tendency for liquids and gases to be able to penetrate the seams of the gloves. Since most gloves are stitched together, the fabric at the seams is effectively secured together only by small lengths of thread that are separated from each other by small gaps. Liquids and gases tend to penetrate into the interior of the glove through these small gaps and thereby cause injury to the wearer.

There is therefore a need in the art for an improved protective glove that is temperature resistant and/or fluid impermeable, especially in the region of the seams, and to an improved method of manufacturing this type of glove.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The device of the present invention comprises a temperature resistant and fluid impermeable protective glove having front and back panels joined together by at least one seam. During manufacture, the glove is dipped into a first thin liquid to coat the exterior surface of the glove. The first liquid penetrates through gaps in the seam and seals those gaps as it solidifies. The first liquid coated glove is then dipped into a second thicker liquid to coat the entire exterior surface including the sealed seam. A third coating may be applied to the interior surface of the glove prior to joining the front and back panels together. Preferably, the third coating is a blade-coating that improves the gloves cut and penetration strength. The glove may also include an interior liner and an exterior protective member for added comfort and protection.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The preferred embodiment of the invention, illustrative of the best mode in which applicant has contemplated applying the principles, is set forth in the following description and is shown in the drawings and is particularly and distinctly pointed out and set forth in the appended claims.

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a glove in accordance with the present invention being used to protect a worker's hand from a hot or caustic liquid;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the glove of the present invention showing the exterior surface thereof;

FIG. 3 is an exploded side elevational view of the glove of FIG. 2 being lowered over an expandable glove former;

FIG. 3 a is an exploded front elevational view of the glove of FIG. 2 being lowered over the expandable former;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the glove on the glove former, illustrating the former being expanded to open up the glove's seams to obtain access to the gaps between the threads of the stitching;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view showing the glove and former being dipped into a tank of a first liquid to coat the exterior of the glove and showing some of that first liquid flowing into the expanded seam;

FIG. 6 is a top cross-sectional view of the glove through line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the highlighted region of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of the highlighted region of FIG. 6 shown with the former returned to its non-expanded condition and illustrating how the first fluid has sealed the seam in the glove by filling the gaps between the threads;

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of the glove on the former when in a non-expanded state, with the glove being dipped a second time to apply a coat of a second liquid over the solidified first layer of the first liquid;

FIG. 10 is a top cross-sectional view of the glove of FIG. 9 removed from the former and showing the solidified first and second layers;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged top view of the highlighted region of FIG. 10; showing the second layer of the second liquid coated over the solidified first layer and forming the exterior surface of the glove;

FIG. 11 a is an enlarged top view of the highlighted region of FIG. 10 showing an alternative embodiment of the invention in which a blade-coating is additionally applied to the interior surface of an outer shell of the glove; and

FIG. 12 is an exploded front view of the glove of the present invention along with a cotton liner that is received in the interior of the glove and which directly contacts the worker's hand, together with a Kevlar® mitt that is slipped over the exterior surface of the top portion of the glove of the present invention to give added temporary protection to a workman's hand.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIGS. 1-12, there is shown a protective glove in accordance with the present invention and generally indicated at 10. FIGS. 1, 2 and 12 show various details of the structure of glove 10. FIGS. 3-11 a illustrate how glove 10 is manufactured and how the process constructs the structure of glove 10. FIG. 11 a illustrates an alternative structure for the glove in accordance with the present invention.

Glove 10 as illustrated herein is of a mitt style and includes a thumb region 14 and a single finger region 16 that would cover and protect all four of the wearer's fingers together. It will be understood that if it is desirable to protect the wearer's fingers in a different manner, that glove could alternatively include a thumb region and two, three or four finger regions. These alternative versions of the glove are not illustrated herein but are considered to fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

As indicated previously, glove 10 is designed for applications where protection is needed from one or more of hot, cold or caustic substances that are able to penetrate into the interior of the glove through the seams. It should be understood that the term “temperature resistant” used herein means resistance to both heat and cold, and the term “fluid impermeable” means impermeability or resistance to both liquids and gases. It will further be understood that glove 10 will also protect the wearer's hand from exposure to hot, cold and caustic solid materials but solid materials are less likely to be of such a nature that they are able to penetrate into the interior cavity of the glove through the seams. However, the glove of the present invention will also substantially prevent particulate-type solid materials that are extremely hot, extremely cold or extremely caustic from penetrating into the interior cavity through the glove's seams. Consequently, the term “fluid” should also be considered, for the purposes of this description, to refer to particulate-type solid materials and “fluid impermeability” to refer to impermeability of the seams with reference to particulate-type solid materials.

FIG. 1 shows glove 10 in use protecting a person's hand against injury during exposure to a hot liquid 12. Glove 10 is designed to extend for a distance beyond the wrist of the wearer and to terminate approximately midway between the wrist and elbow. Alternately, the glove may extend entirely up the length of the user's arm.

Glove 10 is manufactured by cutting two substantially identical pieces of fabric and then stitching those pieces together to form an outer shell 18. Outer shell 18 has a front 20 and a back 22 that are joined together by sewing along a seam 24 to form a plurality of stitches that hold the two pieces of fabric together. Front 20 is designed to abut the palm of the wearer and back 22 is designed to abut the back of the wearer's hand. Front 20 and back 22 bound an interior cavity 26 (FIG. 6), configured to receive the hand and a portion of the wearer's wrist and arm therein. Cavity 26 is accessed through an opening (not shown) at a lowermost end 20 a, 22 a (FIG. 3) of front 20 and back 22.

In accordance with the present invention, the base fabric used to manufacture outer shell 18 preferably is a poly/cotton, a cotton jersey or a cotton interlock fabric that is not blade-coated. Blade-coating is accomplished by applying a silicon or nitrile coating onto one face of front 20 and back 22 either before or after cutting them out and prior to sewing. Alternatively, the fabric used for front 20 and back 22 is one of a poly/cotton, a meta-aramid and a poly-aramid fabric that is blade-coated. When front 20 and back 22 are cut out and sewn together, the blade-coated face of the two pieces of fabric is disposed on the interior of the glove and therefore bounds cavity 26.

In accordance with methodology of the present invention, once front 20 and back 22 of outer shell 18 have been sewn together, outer shell 10 is slipped over an expandable former 28 (FIGS. 3 and 3 a). Former 28 comprises a first member 28 a and a second member 28 b that are movable horizontally toward and away from each other. Former 28 is therefore able to be moved between a non-expanded condition (FIG. 3) and an expanded condition (FIG. 4). When in the non-expanded condition, first and second members 28 a, 28 b abut each other along a midline 29. When in the expanded condition, first and second members 28 a, 28 b are separated from each other by a small vertical space 31. The former illustrated in FIGS. 3-4 is a former for a mitt and therefore includes a thumb region 33 and a single finger region 35. It will be understood, however, that if the glove to be manufactured is to have a thumb region and four finger regions, that the former used in that instance would likewise include a thumb region and four finger regions.

When outer shell 18 is properly positioned on former 28, the former 28 is moved from its non-expanded condition (FIG. 3) to its expanded condition (FIG. 4). This movement causes front 20 of glove 10 to move slightly away from back 22 of glove 10 thereby causing seam 24 to slightly open up along substantially the entire length thereof. Seam 24 is expanded to a degree sufficient to make the individual strands 30 of the thread used to sew front 20 and back 22 together more evident (FIGS. 4 & 6). The strands 30 of thread extend between front 20 and back 22 and retain the two together. Seam 24 also includes a plurality of gaps 32, where each gap 32 is disposed between two adjacent strands 30. Gaps 32 permit fluid communication through seam 24 between interior cavity 26 and the air surrounding the exterior surface 18 a of outer shell 18. In other words, gaps 32 permit some flow of liquids and gases through the seam 24 between interior cavity 26 and the air surrounding exterior surface 18 a of outer shell 18. When former 28 is expanded, strands 30 become more visible and the gaps 32 are widened to a greater degree than when outer shell 18 was in the non-expanded condition.

In accordance with yet another feature of the present invention, once seam 24 is expanded (FIG. 6), a first coating 34 of a suitable liquid is applied to the exterior surface 18 a of outer shell 18. This step may require moving former 28 from a first location to a second location in some manner. Thus, in a first instance shown in FIG. 5, former 28 with the expanded outer shell 18 disposed thereon is dipped into a vat 36 holding a quantity of a first liquid 38. This dipping procedure is the preferred manner of applying first liquid 38. First liquid 38 preferably will make outer shell 18 one or both of temperature resistant and fluid impermeable. A suitable first liquid 38 for this purpose would be nitrile or neoprene. First liquid 38 preferably is in the form of a low viscosity fluid, meaning that it is more thin and runny and less sticky. In order to attain the correct viscosity for the first liquid 38, the liquid may need to be heated.

When outer shell 18 is dipped into first liquid 38, the liquid 38 covers exterior surface 18 a and effective obstructs gaps 32 thereby cutting off fluid communication between interior cavity 26 and the air surrounding exterior surface 18 a of outer shell 18. More particularly, first liquid 38 penetrates into seam 24, flowing into and through gaps 32 between adjacent strands 30 of threads. First liquid 38 also flows around and coats strands 30 and may penetrate slightly into the same. First liquid 38 preferably also flows through seam 24 and flows for a short distance along the interior surfaces of front 20 and back 22 (FIG. 7) that define and bound cavity 26. After being immersed for a length of time sufficient to allow first fluid 38 to flow into and through gaps 32, outer shell is removed from being further exposed to first liquid 38. The length of time involved will vary with the viscosity of first fluid 38 from just a few seconds to several minutes. While outer shell 18 is being removed from first liquid 38, former 28 is moved from its expanded condition back to its non-expanded condition. At the same time, the previously heated first liquid 38 begins to cool and solidify and seam 24 begins to close back to its original non-expanded condition. Thus, strands 30 move closer together and gaps 32 close but, as this occurs, a quantity of the cooling first liquid 38 becomes entrapped in the gaps 32 between adjacent strands 30 (FIG. 8) and thereby fills and seals the same. Thus, fluid communication through the seam 24 between interior cavity 26 and the air surrounding the exterior of outer shell 18 is effectively cut off. Sufficient time is allowed to pass after removing outer shell 18 from first liquid 38 to permit the quantity of first liquid 38 on exterior surface 18 a to cool and solidify to form a first coating 34. Since the entire outer shell 18 preferably is dipped into first liquid, first coating 34 covers the entire exterior surface 18 a. It will be understood, however, that if only a portion of outer shell 18 was dipped into first liquid 38, then first coating 34 will only form on the area of outer shell 18 that was dipped. First coating 34 effectively seals off both the interior and exterior regions of seam 24 because both of the interior and exterior regions thereof have had a quantity of first liquid 38 applied thereto. This sealing of seam 24 ensures that liquids cannot flow through gaps 30 in seam 24 and into interior cavity 26 of glove 10. Substantially the entire length of seam 24 is sealed by first coating 34, thus rendering outer shell 18 liquid impermeable. This first coating 34 therefore substantially prevents liquid from being able to penetrate into the interior cavity 26 of glove 10 by way of entering through seam 24 and thereby substantially reduces the likelihood of the worker being burned or injured by hot, cold or caustic substances.

It will be understood that instead of dipping outer shell 18, alternatively, former 28 with the expanded outer shell thereon, may be moved through a zone in a piece of equipment (not shown) where a quantity of first liquid 38 is sprayed over exterior surface 18 a of outer shell 18. Any other procedures for applying a quantity of the first liquid to the exterior surface 18 a of outer shell 18 are also considered to fall within the spirit and scope of this invention. Dipping is, however, preferred as it ensures that substantially the entire seam 24 will be exposed to first liquid 38.

Referring to FIGS. 9-11, and in accordance with yet another feature of the present invention, once seam 24 is sealed with first liquid 38, a second coating 40 is applied to the exterior surface 34 a of the first coating 34 on outer shell. A suitable substance for use as second coating 40 is nitrile, neoprene or any other substance that improves the temperature resistance and/or liquid impermeability qualities of the glove. A second coating 40 may also be provided to give the glove better abrasion and/or gripping qualities and materials that provide these features can be used to form second coating 40.

At this point, the first-liquid coated outer shell 18 is still engaged on former 28 and the former is in the non-expanded condition. Keeping former 28 in this non-expanded condition, the former is moved to permit a second coating 40 to be applied to the first-liquid coated outer shell 18. Preferably, second coating 40 is applied by dipping the first-liquid-coated outer shell 18 and former 28 into a vat 42 of a suitable second liquid 44. Any other suitable method of applying the second coating, such as spraying, may be employed without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Preferably, second liquid 44 is of a higher viscosity than is first liquid 38, meaning that second liquid 44 preferably is more tacky and thicker than first liquid 38. In order to attain the correct viscosity for the second liquid 44, the liquid may need to be heated or cooled to a certain degree. When the first-liquid-coated outer shell 18/34 is dipped into second liquid 44, it coats and sticks to exterior surface 34 a of first coating 34 and completely covers the area of the glove that is dipped therein. The twice coated outer shell 18 on former 28 is then removed from vat 42 and, once again, sufficient time is allowed to permit second liquid 44 to cool, solidify or set so as to form the second coating 40 over the exterior surface 34 a of first coating 34. Once both of the first and second coatings 34, 40 have been applied and set, the manufacture of glove 10 is completed and glove 10 is removed from former 28 by sliding it off the same.

FIG. 11 a is an enlarged top view of the highlighted portion of FIG. 10 showing an alternative embodiment of the invention. FIG. 11 a shows that a blade-coating 46 has been applied to the fabric used to construct the front 20 and back 22 of outer shell 18 before the front and back are sewn together. Blade-coating 46 preferably comprises a silicon or nitrile coating, or any other substance that improves the temperature resistance, fluid impermeability or the resistance of the glove to penetration or cuts from sharp objects. This blade-coating layer also tends to enable the glove to be used for applications involving higher temperatures than a glove that includes only the first and second coatings 34, 40.

FIG. 12 shows the glove 10 being used as part of a protection assembly for a worker. The assembly includes a fabric liner 50, the glove 10 described above, and a separate protective member 56. Fabric liner 50 preferably is made from a soft material that is feels good to the touch, such as cotton. The cotton liner 50, is inserted into the cavity 26 of glove 10 such that an exterior surface of the liner abuts the interior surface of glove 10. Complementary hook and loop fasteners are applied to liner 50 and glove 10. FIG. 12 shows a strip of hook and loop fastener 52 applied to the end portion of liner 50 and a complementary strip of hook and loop fastener 54 applied to an end portion of the interior surface of glove 10. The hook and loop fastener holds liner 50 and glove 10 together, but allows them to be separated for cleaning or replacement purposes. It will be understood that the exact configurations and locations of the hook and loop fasteners 52, 54 is immaterial and they may be applied in several different locations on glove 10 and liner 50.

Protective member 56 is in the form of a mitt that is slidable over the exterior surface 40 a of the first and second liquid coated glove 10. Preferably, this mitt 56 is manufactured from a material such as KEVLAR® and provides extra strength and heat resistance to glove 10 for temporary applications where such qualities are required. Specifically, the protective member 56 is manufactured from a material that is one or more of temperature resistant, fluid impermeable, provides improved cut strength (i.e., resistance to cuts) and penetration strength (i.e., resistance to penetration by sharp objects).

As illustrated in FIG. 12, protective member 56 has a length from a top end 56 a of a finger region to a bottom end 56 b adjacent an opening to the interior cavity thereof; and glove 10 has a length from a top end 10 a of a finger region to a bottom end 10 b adjacent the opening into the interior cavity of the glove, and wherein the length of the protective member 56 is substantially smaller than the length of the glove 10.

In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness, and understanding. No unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art because such terms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadly construed.

Moreover, the description and illustration of the invention are an example and the invention is not limited to the exact details shown or described. 

1. A glove for protecting the hands comprising: an outer shell having a front, a back and a seam joining the front and back, wherein the glove has an exterior surface, an interior surface and a cavity bounded by the interior surface and shaped to receive a worker's hand therein; a first coating of a first material applied to the exterior surface of the glove, wherein said first material penetrates and seals the seam and substantially prevents substances from passing through the seam and into the cavity.
 2. The glove as defined in claim 1, further comprising: a second coating of a second material applied to an exterior surface of the first coating and overlaying the sealed seam.
 3. The glove as defined in claim 2, further comprising: a third coating of a third substance applied to the interior surface of the outer shell, where the third coating is covered at least partially by the first coating in a location adjacent the seam.
 4. A protective glove comprising: a front panel; a back panel; at least one seam securing the front and back panels together to form an outer shell, wherein the outer shell includes: an exterior surface; an interior surface; an interior cavity bounded by the interior surface; and an opening to the cavity adapted for entry of a hand therein; and wherein said seam includes: a plurality of strands of thread that extend between the front and back panels; and a plurality of gaps, each gap being disposed between two adjacent threads; and a first layer of a first material applied to at least a portion of the exterior surface of the outer shell; wherein the first material substantially obstructs the gaps and closes off fluid communication through the seam between the interior cavity and air surrounding the exterior surface of the outer shell.
 5. The protective glove as defined in claim 4, wherein the first material is applied to the outer shell in liquid form and penetrates into the gaps.
 6. The protective glove as defined in claim 5, wherein after application, the liquid solidifies into the first layer, and a quantity of the solidified liquid is disposed in each gap, thereby effectively sealing off the same.
 7. The protective glove as defined in claim 5, wherein the liquid flows through the gaps and for a distance along the interior surface of the outer shell adjacent the seam, and the first layer of the first liquid solidifies onto both the portion of the exterior surface of the outer shell and for a distance along the interior surface of the outer shell adjacent the seam.
 8. The protective glove as defined in claim 4, wherein the first material comprises one or both of a temperature resistant material and a fluid impermeable material.
 9. The protective glove as defined in claim 8, wherein the first material is nitrile or neoprene.
 10. The protective glove as defined in claim 4, further comprising: a second layer of a second material applied over an exterior surface of the first layer of first material; wherein the second layer overlays the sealed seam.
 11. The protective glove as defined in claim 10, wherein the second material is one or both of a temperature resistant material and a fluid impermeable material.
 12. The glove as defined in claim 11, wherein the second material is nitrile or neoprene.
 13. The protective glove as defined in claim 4, further comprising a third layer of a third material that covers at least a portion of the interior surface of the outer shell.
 14. The protective glove as defined in claim 13, wherein the third layer is a blade-coating.
 15. The protective glove as defined in claim 14, wherein the third material is nitrile or silicon.
 16. The protective glove as defined in claim 4, further comprising a liner having an interior surface that bounds an interior cavity and an exterior surface, and wherein the liner is receivable within the interior cavity of the outer shell such that the exterior surface of the liner abuts the interior surface of the outer shell.
 17. The protective glove as defined in claim 16, wherein the liner includes a first fastener and the outer shell includes a second fastener; and the first and second fasteners are engageable to secure the liner and outer shell together.
 18. The protective glove as defined in claim 4, further comprising a separate protective member having an interior surface that bounds and defines an interior cavity and an exterior surface; and wherein the outer shell is receivable in the interior cavity of the protective member such that the exterior surface of the outer shell abuts the interior surface of the protective member.
 19. The protective glove as defined in claim 18, wherein the protective member is manufactured from a fabric that is one or more of temperature resistant, liquid impermeable, cut resistant and penetration resistant.
 20. The protective glove as defined in claim 19, wherein the protective member has a length from a top end of a finger region thereof to a bottom end thereof adjacent the opening to the interior cavity of the protective member; and the glove has a length from a top end of a finger region thereof to a bottom end thereof adjacent the opening of the glove into the interior cavity, and wherein the length of the protective member is substantially smaller than the length of the glove.
 21. A method of manufacturing a temperature resistant and fluid impermeable glove comprising the steps of: sewing an outer shell of the glove by stitching at least a first piece of fabric to a second piece of fabric with strands of thread so as to form at least one seam; and applying a first liquid to an exterior surface of the outer shell such that the first liquid coats the exterior surface and a quantity of the first liquid migrates into the at least one seam and substantially seals the same.
 22. The method as defined in claim 21, further comprising the steps of: solidifying the first liquid to form a first coating on the outer shell; and applying a second liquid to an exterior surface of the first coating.
 23. The method as defined in claim 22, further comprising the step of: stretching the glove to open up a plurality of gaps in the at least one seam prior to applying the first liquid to the outer shell.
 24. The method as defined in claim 23, wherein the step of stretching the glove includes: placing the outer shell over an expandable former when the former is in a non-expanded condition; moving the former to an expanded condition so that the at least one seam is expanded and the plurality of gaps open up in the seam, with a single gap being disposed between each pair of adjacent strands of the thread.
 25. The method as defined in claim 24, wherein the step of applying the first liquid to the outer shell occurs when the former is in the expanded condition.
 26. The method as defined in claim 25, further comprising the steps of: moving the former to a non-expanded condition after the application of the first liquid; and allowing sufficient time to pass to permit the first liquid to fill in the gaps in the at least one seam and to solidify as the first coating over the exterior surface of the outer shell.
 27. The method as defined in claim 26, further comprising the steps of: applying a second liquid to an exterior surface of the first coating.
 28. The method as defined in claim 27, further comprising the step of: allowing sufficient time to pass to permit the second liquid to solidify as a second coating over the exterior surface of the first coating and over regions of the at least one seam where the gaps were previously filled with the first liquid.
 29. The method as defined in claim 28, wherein the step of applying the second liquid includes: maintaining the former in the non-expanded condition until the second liquid has solidified.
 30. The method as defined in claim 23, further including the step of: removing the twice-coated outer shell from the former.
 31. The method as defined in claim 24, wherein the step of applying the first liquid to the exterior surface of the outer shell includes dipping the outer shell into a quantity of the first liquid while the outer shell is engaged on the expanded former.
 32. The method as defined in claim 31, wherein the step of applying the first liquid includes dipping the outer shell into a quantity of a low viscosity liquid.
 33. The method as defined in claim 31, wherein the step of applying the second liquid to the exterior surface of the first coating includes dipping the first liquid coated outer shell into a quantity of the second liquid while the outer shell is engaged on the non-expanded former.
 34. The method as defined in claim 33, wherein the step of applying the second liquid to the outer shell includes dipping the first liquid coated outer shell into a quantity of a high viscosity liquid.
 35. The method as defined in claim 27, wherein the steps of applying one or both of the first and second liquids further includes the step of heating the one or both of the first and second liquids.
 36. The method as defined in claim 21, wherein the step of sewing the outer shell includes the steps of: selecting a fabric, where the fabric has an interior surface and an exterior surface; blade-coating the interior surface of the fabric; cutting a front panel and a back panel from the fabric; sewing the front panel to the back panel such that the interior surfaces of the front and back panels form an interior surface of the outer shell. 